Flightless Angel
by prouvaires
Summary: Rella was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now she and Coranth are left to face the consequences of their illogical bonding. .:title has changed. Used to be 'Never Say Die.':.
1. Chapter 1

"You had _better _be joking," she warned furiously, in a bad mood anyway because she had been drafted in to help with the cooking, and that was not a healer's job.

"I wish I was," he told her with an utterly scrupulous expression on his face.

"In that case, _shards_!" she swore angrily, tearing the apron she was wearing off and rushing towards the Hatching Grounds.

"No, Rella, I was joking!" he shouted after her, but she was out of earshot. He sank onto a seat, cursing under his breath.

Rella pounded down the hallway. "Gray!" she called, and the little blue fire lizard winked in above her.

"Go find M'cael and tell him a child is hurt on the Hatching Grounds."

The fire lizard chirped his understanding, but remained circling above as she ran. She cursed at him, but he was notorious for his stubbornness, so she flicked up at him with a hand. He dived out of the way and scolded her angrily as she continued to run.

_Useless_, she thought, and then arrived at the edge of the Hatching Grounds. It was a sea of creeling hatchlings and worried-looking humans. Dragons hummed from where they were crouching, eyes whirling rainbow colours. Rella cast an eye around the cavern, but she couldn't see any injured child.

"I am going to _murder _that child!" she told Gray as he wheeled above her, watching the hatching with interested squeaks. A tiny green hatchling stumbled past her, following an enchanted looking girl of about Rella's own age. The green was followed by many other colours, including the queen of the clutch. Rella watched as the Hatching Grounds slowly emptied, the hissing Ludeth watching intently as her clutch was partnered off with the candidates. Rella felt the warmth of a hatching swell her body up, and was standing to one side slightly absently as all the occupants of the seating on the sides of the cavern and the failed candidates walked out.

She was about to turn away when she heard a cry. A human boy had just fallen, hurt, so Rella shot over to the boy lying on the ground, fiercely guarded by a blue dragonet. The cavern had emptied fast, and Rella glanced around for help, amazed to find that she, the boy, the blue dragon hatchling and the magnificent golden Ludeth were the only ones left in the place. All the other riders were near the entrance, totally oblivious to the happenings inside the Hatching Ground.

However, she could see the gash on the boy's side, so she rolled him carefully over, ignoring the protests of the dragonet, and pulled a cloth from a pouch in her clothes, beginning to clean the wound. It was not deep, but the boy had sustained a knock to the head and it was now an ugly, raised lump on his forehead. She finished dressing the cut, then carefully applied numbweed to the bump.

She was about to lift the boy up and take him to the healers when she heard a sad sound from Ludeth. Rella whirled, afraid she had done something to upset the queen, but Ludeth had her back to the two humans and the hatchling. As Rella watched in amazement, Ludeth raised an angry paw and gave whatever she was looking at a hard knock. Rella dropped the boy in her surprise, his dragon giving a hiss of disgust, and watched as Ludeth pounded the egg again.

Rella felt her head drop. There were often unhatched eggs, so why Ludeth was beating herself up about this one Rella didn't know. However, it wasn't her place to question the Senior Queen, so she merely turned away and started to move the boy again. She heard shouts as the Weyrleader and Weyrwoman ran back into the cavern, but she found herself distracted because Ludeth had managed to crack the egg and a brown dragonet had spilled out. As the hatchling shook its head in surprise and sneezed, Rella smiled. He raised his tiny head and cast his eyes around. His face creased in such a human expression of puzzlement that Rella laughed out loud, then quietened, shocked by her temerity.

At the entrance, the weyrleaders paused, and shouted to the crowd behind them.

"Get the boys back here!"

There were mutterings the whole way down the corridor, but the brown dragonet had started to creel already, making his unsteady way towards the door. However, he managed to trip over his wing and get his tail tangled around his neck. Rella, instantly moved by suffering, despite the comedy involved, hurried to untangle him, fully intending to move away and allow the dragon to continue his quest for a rider. However, as soon as she had successfully disentangled him, his eyes snapped round to meet hers.

_No_, she begged as his thoughts flowed into hers.

_Rella? Oh, thank you, Rella! You are so pretty, you are so clever! Thank you, Rella. I am Coranth. And I am hungry. I have been trapped in that egg for so long without food, and now I need to fill my tummy. Rella? I am hungry!_

Rella could only stand in complete shock as the brown dragonet butted her knees. She extended an automatic hand to caress the gleaming head as the weyrleaders and others reached her.

"A girl?! What have you done, child?" N'ton asked incredulously, unable to believe his eyes.

"I just wanted to help Coranth…" she protested feebly, reassuring the dragon when his delight turned to puzzlement as he realised that he had done something wrong.

"Coranth…" the weyrwoman trailed off weakly. The crowd began to babbly nervously, aware of something incredibly wrong.

N'ton seemed to regain his composure first. "Follow the others to the barracks, child. Marget! Food for Coranth, please."

Rella could only stumble across the hot sands, Coranth following her as though glued to her heels, occasionally tripping over his own feet. Rella turned to see the weyrleaders, junior queen riders and bronze riders gathered in furious discussion. Ludeth and Lioth watched Coranth as he and Rella made their way out of the Hatching Grounds, unable to understand what their humans were so worried about.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonriders of Pern, duh.**

**I just thought I'd have a go at making it plausible. I know there's the whole female-to-female and male-to-male thing, but I reckon if males can Impress greens then why shouldn't the odd girl Impress brown?**

**I have gone over this chapter and corrected any mistakes pointed out. Thank you for the reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, everyone!**

**And I expect that I'll probably get told sooner or later that my story is very non-canon. I'm going to point out now that Anne McCaffrey never wrote about this sort of situation in the series, so in fact this could be totally canon. I revised the last chapter to correct any mistakes, too.**

Rella was kept so busy taking care of Coranth for the next few weeks as he grew that she had no time or energy to notice the sidelong glances or ill-tempered mutterings directed at her. He was a handful, and like all young creatures got himself into a great deal of mischief without purposely trying to. For example, he managed to fall into the deep part of the lake, and despite his inherent swimming ability panicked. Rella had to dive in the lake and encourage him to swim to the shallower part.

Then he managed, on his first flight, to make his way into the Hatching Grounds where the junior queen Selianth was brooding over a new clutch. Despite her fear for her dragon Rella had to laugh, because the look on his face as he fled the irate queen was hilarious. When she questioned him about it, he replied that he was curious to see the place that he hatched.

The other girls disliked Rella at first, but eventually their curiosity overcame their antipathy. The queenrider, Keralla, was bossy and always seemed to take charge of the other girls, who had all impressed greens. She was very proud, and she had a special hatred for Rella who returned the feeling mutually, being a dominant personality herself and not enjoying being looked down upon as a 'freak.'

Rella was sitting on her bed in the weyrling barracks one night oiling Coranth when suddenly all eight other girls that had impressed pounced on her.

"So, what's it like having a _male _dragon?" Mersa, rider of green Lilth, asked her. Coranth burbled sleepily and shut his eyes. Rella glanced down at him, then looked back up at the circle of girls. The dimmed glows around the walls didn't give very much light, but Rella could clearly see the expressions that varied from inquisitive to condescending.

"Not much different from having a female dragon, I should imagine," she replied drily, "especially not at this age. What's it like having a _female _dragon?"

"Well, you know," another girl said, and then Keralla interrupted.

"Well actually, Lira, she doesn't. She impressed a _brown, _remember?"

Rella gave her a cold, hard glare. "Just because you're queenrider, Keralla, doesn't mean you have to speak to everyone like that."

Keralla tossed her head with a smirk, her long brown hair shifting. "Actually, _brown rider_, I think you'll find I do. Gold ranks brown, remember that."

"I didn't say you didn't have the _authority_," Rella shot back, her brow creased, "I said you didn't _have _to. None of the other queenriders feel the need to speak to their … ah … _underlings_ like that."

The way Rella stressed underlings made it very clear that she did not for one second consider herself inferior to Keralla. The other girls all shifted uncomfortably as the two argued, and two or three of the green dragonets woke and rustled their wings nervously, their actions imitating their riders' thoughts. As Keralla readied herself for another comeback, Rella checked Coranth to make sure that he was still asleep. He was, but his sleep was lighter. His tail twitched spasmodically as he became more aware of his rider's anger. Rella placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he slept, and he stilled.

"Oh, is the poor little brown having _nightmares_?" Keralla taunted, and Coranth awoke with a hiss as Rella's anger turned to red fury. His eyes whirled red and yellow in alarm, and Rella forced herself to take deep breaths to calm herself for her dragon's sake. He folded his spread wings and looked at her to make sure he hadn't done anything wrong.

_Thank you, Coranth._

_She is upsetting you?_

_No, dear one, I just let my temper get the better of me. You go back to sleep. I got this._

_Okay. I love you, Rella._

_Love you too, _she replied, and turned back to look at Keralla. The other girls had all retreated to bed, and two points of light showed that only one other dragon was awake. Then the green blinked and shut her eyes, leaving Rella and Keralla the only ones awake.

"Well, brown rider, sleep well. I do hope your brown's nightmares don't make him wet the bed."

Rella leapt up from her bed, and tackled Keralla. "You will _not _insult Coranth!" she shouted, trying to get her hands around the other girl's neck. Keralla's screams awoke the other girls who rushed to separate the two fighters. Rella would not let herself be prised away, especially not by the green riders, and she kneed Keralla in the ribs and rolled her over and over all across the floor, both fighting for dominance. One of the green dragons alerted Firth, the weyrlingmaster's bronze, and then K'nebel himself came striding in. The green riders scattered. All the dragons were awake now, hissing and growling, flapping their wings in distress with their eyes whirling. Coranth had leapt down from his bed and was halfway across the floor, heading towards the girls when Melketh, the queen, intercepted him and blocked his way. Coranth squealed his annoyance, unable to get past the queen to aid his rider.

K'nebel assessed the situation in one sweeping glance and strode across the room, grabbing Rella by the collar and yanking her off Keralla, who lay on the floor, panting, a cut on her cheek and a bruise forming over one eye. Rella struggled against K'nebel, trying to get back to Keralla. Coranth bugled weakly in anguish, and Rella changed the focus of her struggle, trying to get to him.

_Rella, she will not let me come to you!_

_Don't fight her, dear one, I will come to you as soon as I can. I have behaved poorly._

_Maybe. But you have a good left-hook. _Rella grinned as she heard Coranth's words and stopped fighting against K'nebel. He sighed in relief and tugged her out of the girl's barracks by her collar. The boys all had their heads at the windows of their buildings.

"Go back to bed!" K'nebel commanded them. The faces disappeared one by one, and K'nebel released Rella's collar and forced her to stand and look him in the eye.

"Why did you attack the queenrider, Rella?"

"She insulted Coranth. Just because he's a brown. You know, if I was a boy she wouldn't even notice me!"

K'nebel nodded. If _only _Rella was a lad, there'd be no problems at all.

"You should not have attacked her. You will go and apologise."

"She insulted me first! She has no right to be rude about Coranth, he is just as much a dragon as any of the others. More so than some."

K'nebel frowned. "That's as may be, but a dragon rider should never physically attack another, no mind the provocation."

Rella mouthed wordlessly as he continued.

"You have presented a fine problem for the weyrleaders, Rella. We were afraid this would happen, that the other weyrlings would find it hard to accept you … and Coranth. Firth," he said, turning to his bronze who crouched nearby, "would you please ask Lioth if N'ton is awake?"

K'nebel evidently received an answer because he started to draw Rella towards Firth. Rella struggled and eventually managed to free herself.

"Sir, I'll not leave Coranth alone with Keralla for a second."

K'nebel studied her for a moment. She was standing with her feet set apart, her stance ready for action, her chin uplifted, her blue eyes blazing with determination and her blonde hair a tangled mess around her face. K'nebel let his head fall back in despair.

"You will be the death of us all, child."

"Because I impressed brown?!" K'nebel snapped back to face her, aware that he had said something wrong. Her lip was trembling, but her expression was murderous.

"I just meant to say that - "

"That I am all wrong? That Coranth is a freak who had better gone _between _than impressed a _girl_? Because boys can impress _greens _but suddenly a girl impresses brown and there's nowhere for her to go, no-one willing to be burdened with her and her freakish dragon?"

Rella felt tears in her eyes, but blinked them back furiously, aware that her own body was betraying her and hating that fact. K'nebel was silent, waiting for her to finish what she evidently needed to say.

"Coranth is better than any of those other dragons in there, Melketh included! He could beat any of them easy, and with one wing tied up. Just because '_there's no precedent,'_" her bitter voice mocked Margatta, "and so we're a problem that should just be pushed into a corner, swept under a rug and forgotten about? That's not right! We're dragon and rider, and we're more a pair than many of those in those barracks. He's mine, and I'm his, and just the fact that _I'm a girl _doesn't change anything! He's no different, I'm no different. We're dragon and rider, and always will be. We're bound, linked, and nothing can change that. Not all the weyrleaders on Pern can change that."

There was a muted bellow from inside the girl's barracks, and then Coranth charged out of the doorway, hurrying over to Rella, who turned from K'nebel, releasing him from her icy glare, and into Coranth's warm, soft shoulder. She took deep breaths, K'nebel noted, but did not cry. K'nebel silently contacted Firth, and then went over to Rella. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I understand," he began, but she whirled in fury.

"No, you don't," she spat, her ire rising again. "None of you have any idea what it's like to be shunned, to be whispered about, to be as outcast as you are making me!"

K'nebel gave up. She would not be reasoned with, he could see.

"N'ton comes," he said, and turned as Lioth settled to the ground a short way away. Rella gasped and backed up until she was standing pressed up against Coranth. He nuzzled her gently and she placed a hand on his muzzle, gently caressing him. She saw K'nebel greet N'ton and trade a few words with him, and then both men approached her and Coranth. Rella swallowed down her fear and lifted her chin to face them.

"Rella," N'ton greeted her.

"Father," she replied with a nod. He frowned.

"Rella, please explain to me what the problem is."

"Everyone hates me and Coranth because no girl ever impressed brown before." Her explanation was short and to the point, as she had already used up all her eloquence on K'nebel. N'ton glanced back at Lioth as though something was confirmed, and then whipped back to face her.

"I'll be straight with you, Rella. You are in the wrong in this situation. You should not have physically attacked another rider, especially not a queenrider. Therefore you will have to be punished. You and Coranth will be placed in solitary confinement during the nights for as long as your poor attitude holds up. You will still attend your classes during the day, but you will also serve as a messenger within the weyr for anyone who needs you."

Rella beamed. "Thank you, father," she said gratefully, relieved that she and Coranth would be removed from Keralla's company for a time, no matter how short it was. N'ton nodded seriously and turned back to K'nebel. They had a quick, muttered conversation that Rella caught none of, and then N'ton walked up to her and flung an arm about her shoulders, guiding her away from K'nebel.

"Rella, you must please try to keep your temper under control. It will not help your situation in the slightest. I am doing everything I can to help you, but you must help me."

She gazed up at him for a moment, then looked back down at the ground. N'ton saw her take a deep, trembling breath, and then she spoke.

"I wish I had someone to talk to about this. If mother was here she'd understand." Her tone was accusing as she eyed N'ton. He knew she blamed him for getting her mother pregnant again, and the pregnancy had resulted in her death.

"There's nothing anyone could have done, Rella. But you must make her proud and be strong. For Coranth, too. You are a dragonrider, you will always belong in the weyr. I must go now. But remember, Rella."

"Goodnight, father," she said as he unwrapped his arm and turned back to Lioth. The bronze one hummed softly as N'ton mounted. Rella stepped back to Coranth as Lioth beat his wings downwards and flew back up into the weyr proper.

"I'll show you to your new room now, child," K'nebel said, leading her back towards the barracks. She carefully ignored the astonished glances flung her way by the other girls as she hurriedly packed up all her things, then she went back out to Coranth and K'nebel. He showed her over to a small room with a bed, a hollow for a dragon and a trunk for any possessions. Coranth made his way in and settled down.

_I like it here. It is quiet._

_I like it too, dear heart. _

Rella unpacked her few things and then curled up next to Coranth in the hollow. He hummed and snaked his neck around her, protecting her from anything that might come.


End file.
